The Year of Living Dangerously: a seafarer’s gallery

Our tale — and our photo gallery — open with New Year’s celebrations aboard the Nord Explorer as the FOC ship sails for Vancouver in 2015. As they approach, the ITF has already been alerted to non-payment of wages and is working on the case — a bright note for the crew as they look ahead to 2015.

Nord Explorer arrives in Vancouver. ITF’s Peter Lahay has already secured $50,000 advance payment at Stockton prior to ship’s arrival, with $106,00 US still to come for on-board wage payments and for families desperately awaiting money at home.

All secure at Cargill grain terminal in North Vancouver. Relieved crew takes much-needed shore leave with money in their pockets before departing to Peru and Chile.

Crew generally enjoy transitting the Panama Canal — but wages are starting to fall behind again, with nearly two months owing. Four repatriating crew are heading home to Philippines from Panama; Peter has made sure that full payout was made before they left the ship. Vessel is now heading north to Philadelphia.

Nearly secured in Philly and almost ready to discharge. ITF Inspector Bobbi Shipley is en route to meet the crew.

While discharging salt, a massive grab (bucket) drops when one of its wires breaks — a sure sign of a vessel run by a company under strict financial controls, and a possible sign that maintenance of critical equipment is not being done. And typical of your slipshod, run-of-the-mill FOC operator.

The grab has left the cargo hold with severe cracks, but by a stroke of good fortune, no one was hurt. An aerial shot taken during repairs offers a sense of the sheer enormity of these vessels.

It’s always a good moment when crew and ITF inspectors come together on wage claims. For the crew of the Nord Explorer, their own willingness to demand the monies they were owed, and the persistence of the ITF inspectors (including Bobbi Shipley, sixth from the left) supporting them, solidarity paid off — in $22,595 US they were entitled to. The money represented a full month of on-board wages.

Cash is delivered. Pay day!

For Dyordz (left), his contract of about 10 months is up and it’s time to go home, cash in hand.

His bags are packed, always a happy moment.

Dyordz is on his way — with a souvenir shirt from Vancouver and a solid understanding that the ITF is always there for seafarers.

Text to Peter from Dyordz.

Text to Peter from Chief Cook Christopher, who remains on board for voyage south and east.

Wages paid, cargo hold repaired, cargo discharged, the ship sets off down the Delaware River — only to run aground and require emergency dry-docking.

Picture yourself in a boat on a river, with tangerine trees and marmalade scars. This is the bottom of the Nord Explorer after its scrape.

Wages behind, ship run aground, equipment breaking — what will it take to reverse this bad karma?

Playing basketball is a favourite past-time for Filipino seafarers. Drydocked with an empty hold means no worry about cargo — and stunning layup possibilities.

Sweet backboard. Nord Explorer Warriors indeed.

Temporary repairs completed, the vessel transits the canal again and heads for dry-docking in Hiroshima, Japan. Long voyage ahead.

Meanwhile, on a sister ship in the troubled fleet, crew of the Nord Trust contact a seafarers’ mission, which alerts Peter in Vancouver that on-board wages are one-and-a-half months behind. The vessel is departing for South America; Peter presses now-familiar Keymax managers to demand payment on arrival at Chilean port of San Antonio, and contacts Japanese ITF Coordinator Fusao Ohori and Chilean Inspector Juan Villalon.

Happy crew of Nord Trust enjoy copies of the latest ITF Seafarers Bulletin magazine — but more importantly, they enjoy the fact that more than $42,000 US in onboard wages has been delivered by Juan.

Meanwhile, back aboard the Nord Explorer, an intimate glimpse of shipboard life on a hot afternoon.

Crew find creative ways to stay in shape during a voyage — and when there’s a big fight coming up, they get inspired. Which one is Filipino national hero Manny Pacquaio and which one is Floyd Mayweather?

Nord Explorer arrives at Tsuneishi Dockyard in Hiroshima for repairs. Crew refuse to go home until all final leave pay and wages are paid in full. After an extremely long ocean voyage, they take some well-deserved time ashore while waiting for monies to arrive.

Cook Christopher celebrates more than a month at sea by dining out.

For a cook who finally steps ashore, nothing beats a meal that someone else had to prepare.

Text from Christopher thanks Peter and the ITF team, including Juan, Fusao and Bobbi. The final payment was $106,245.87 US for full settlement of onboard wages and leave pay.